Sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday in voting from the Classic Baseball Era Committee. The announcement was made from the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
Needing at least 12 votes of the 16 committee members (75% required), Allen received 13 votes and Parker 14.
The pair were part of an eight-player ballot, which focused on candidates who contributed to the game prior to 1980, including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues stars. Others on the ballot were Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Tommy John and Luis Tiant.
Allen and Parker will be a part of the Class of 2025, joining any potential inductees from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, which will be announced on Jan. 21, live on MLB Network. The Induction Ceremony will take place on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Allen played 15 years (1963-77) in Major League Baseball, mostly with the Phillies and White Sox, made seven All-Star appearances and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in ’72. Allen’s FanGraphs OPS+ (156) is the highest in Phillies history, ahead of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, matching Willie Mays and Frank Thomas and tied for 14th among players with at least 7,000 plate appearances.
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Allen will share the Hall of Fame honor with the man known as “The Cobra.” Parker was an intimidating force when he wielded a 37-ounce bat during the 1970s and ’80s for six Major League teams, including the Pirates, Reds and Athletics. Besides winning two batting titles, an NL MVP Award, three NL Gold Glove Awards and three NL Silver Slugger Awards, Parker played 19 years in the big leagues, hitting .290 with 339 home runs and 1,493 RBIs. He was the Designated Hitter of the Year in 1989 and ’90.
Dick Allen’s induction was long overdue, and I’m just sad it happened after his passing in 2020. I’m happy for Dave Parker, who was a very bright star for a relatively short time, but I’ll be honest, I would have voted for Luis Tiant and the two Negro League/pre-Negro Leagur stars, John Donaldson and Vic Harris, over him. But at least Parker is still with us to bask in the glory of being inducted, which as Jay Jaffe says is a worthwhile consideration. Congrats to the Allen and Parker families, and we’ll see what happens in January when the writers’ votes are counted.
Happy for both of them. Dick Allen was the most talented player outside the Hall ((who didn’t take steroids). Many of his peers said he was a great teammate and the best hitter they’d ever seen. This is welcome and overdue.